


Blind Before I stop

by EnidZsasz



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, zutara - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, F/M, Katara - Freeform, Katara/Zuko - Freeform, Zuko - Freeform, Zutara
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-11-15 04:38:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18066728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnidZsasz/pseuds/EnidZsasz
Summary: In this world Benders are akin to Royalty, and the Avatar the king of them all. So when it came to be that the Avatar was old enough to choose a bride all the Water benders, for the Avatar is an air bender and water comes next therefor ensuring an unbroken line of decent. Katara and a few of her relatives traveled to Ba Sing Se where all the pageants and balls were taking place to get the avatar to wed a water bender. Here she meets someone else however.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zutaralover94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zutaralover94/gifts).



> gifted to the person who inspired me to write this!

Katara sighed for the tenth time in at least ten minutes as she was lorded over by a troop of various women who where wrapping, and pinching, and being all around obnoxious. She didn't need her hair pulled up and away all off her shoulders and bounded up behind her head with a simple copper ornament. Her hair, long as it was down her back and buttocks now barely reached her middle back with how kilted up it was. Another poke and she debated on just doing away with everything and going to the ball completely naked. Wouldn't that be a scandal? However Grangran moved, and stood up as the rest of the woman flooded back chattering meaningless 'you look gorgeous' to her. "Alright, you look fine." 

"Grangran do I have to do-" Katara avoided a sharp poke in her side by leaping back and away as the old woman tried to poke with her staff.

"yes you have to. Its tradition." she stated simply. The aids, giggled amongst themselves, and she knew they were talking about her.

"We're from the southern water tribe, why me?" she demanded as Grangran ushered her out of the thickly ornate dressing room and down the hall along with several other girls, and some boys for that matter, down to a main ballroom. This was Ba Sing Se, the birthplace of royalty, and the birth place for the first Avatar. The entire palace was so 'grand' and so utterly drafty she was near freezing by the time she took the twentieth step down. Several others giggled, and chatted freely between themselves. All the girls, and men there, were from the northern water tribe. Katara was the sole bender from the southern tribe while all the others came from the northern water tribe or the small water colonies in the swamp. She wished she could live there, and maybe just run off into the thick trees and never have to face this sort of thing. 

Grangran however ushered her into the main ballroom where already more then just water benders, and others mingled. It was large, it was drafty, and she was sure she could feel a cold coming on. The entire earthen cavern from rock carved seats and tables, to an elaborate crystal chandelier, was line with the various banners and tapestries of the long lines of family. There was only one for her tribe and family. Sandwiched out of the way and very much in a forgotten corner by the longest table she had ever seen today filled with food and drink. Her families banner was made from a tiger seal pelt and inlaid with just pretty crystals, it was half hidden by princess Yue's banner, which spanned the entire wall. As there were other benders here, as anyone who is anyone used any opportunity to create a party. 

Preening and poking, and conversations started and ended as she walked by. 'she walks like a goat gorilla' one water bender wearing soft icy blues and whites and bedecked in glittering white and blue jewels. Katara hissed and decided on eating. But she wasn't safe even there, several 'look at how the elephant rat eats!' exclaimed one, loudly. There was a fit of giggles and she grimaced. This was going to be a long, long night. 

"Don't let them get you down." said a voice and Katara turned to her, the very same Princess Yue. She had pure white hair and was probably more over dressed then anyone else in the entire room. In thick white dress that draped all the way down to the floor she had to pick up the hem in order to walk. The other girl smiled softly to her and Katara blushed. 

"I don't, I just ingore them your highness." Katara bowed her head to the Princess. 

"No no, just Yue please." she said quickly and took Katara's hand. "Come on, if you're with me they won't dare to talk like that." Katara let the princess, and probably the most famous of their respective tribes to the dance floor. There was little that could be called dancing, more like 'swaying in place' for all the girls and the men slowly glided them around the room. "He's late you know." Katara blinked. 

"Who?" Yue giggled and motioned to the banner on the head of the ballroom. That of the Air Nomads. She blushed again, and looked to the ground as several more giggles rocked through at her reply. 

"Don't you wish you were an air nomad?" Yue asked her Katara jerked her head up to the princess. Her white hair was put up and far more orante then Kataras. She probably couldn't even turn her head with how ornate the hair was. 

"I don't know much about them, your-..." Yue frowned at her. "Yue...ness." she finished. The other girls nearly laughed, and a flush of shame took her cheeks. 

"I do, they don't hold onto all of this." Yue gestured to the room. "They take in orphans, and rarely take wives and husbands in fact. They only do so for this ceremony." she told Katara. "Don't you wish that you could be without all this?" Yue dropped her voice, and Katara blinked and nodded slowly. Yue grinned brightly to her. 

"I suppose that sounds like a good life." various horns blasted through the room and all eyes turned to the entrance. Various guards parted, flanked by trumpeters, as a small troop of Air Nomads walked into the scene. Katara had never seen them, but she first noticed their blue tattoos. The next was how old all of them were, which was the avatar however? 

"ALL WELCOME AVATAR AANG." stated a loud booming voice and the Air nomads parted to reveal a young boy, perhaps twelve or more years old and definitely her junior by several years. He looked positively ecstatic at being the center of all attention. 

"HEY EVERYONE!" he called and lept into the fray. Everyone didn't rush him, but they did jostle and try to get to him. Yue took Kataras hand instead and went to the center of the ballroom, just under the large chandelier. The avatar, bounded up to the two of them, and grinned at the two. "Look!" he held out his hands and a small pebble started spining rapidly between his hands. Several claps from all around her. 

"Thats-"

"Lame." Katara stated simply. The room went quiet. Unnaturally so. It was that quiet that allowed her to hear the creak, and snap. Katara grabbed all the water she could sense, it flooded out from the cups, and jugs, and from below in small cracks of the rock and hardened it to a wall of ice above her, the avatar, and Yue. Just a moment later the large chandiler crashed down and onto the shield and was held up by her ice. The next moment screams, and the entire ballroom erupted into chaos. Katara stood, and helped up Yue as the young man looked up at her. Guards quickly grabbed them all and ushered them out and away however. She was put into a private room flanked by four guards, all benders themselves and one from each tribe. 

In the aftermath she didn't shake, but Yue was shaking, and Katara quickly called for some mulled wine, and handed it to her. The princess drank it down staring at Katara like she was seeing the sun for the first time. The avatar, Aang was gone for the moment, in another set of rooms. Katara had just gotten past an assassination attempt, either against Yue, or the Avatar. She felt strangely calm despite the rush, and the attack. "You are amazing." Yue whispered as she finally seemed to calm down. 

"That was really nothing... I'm sure it was an accident." she added quickly. Yue smiled softly, and set the wine down breathing out. 

"How did you learn that? I was never taught... that." Katara gave her an odd look. 

"What... do you mean Yor-Yue?" Katara asked her. Yue shifted, taking one of her hands in cold chilly hands. 

"Aren't women only supposed to know how to heal? How did you learn that? Its forbidden!" Katara flushed. In the southern tribe you learned what you learned, women were just as important to survival of the tribe as the men. 

"I... taught myself." she said softly. Yue stood. 

"Can you teach me?" she asked excitedly. Katara could only nod slightly. Someone knocked on the door. 

"The Avatar Aang seeks entrance!" called a guard. Katara blanched. 

"Let him in!" Yue called, and Katara had to swallow down everything as the young man nearly skipped in. Shaved bald and wearing orange and tan clothes he was probably more comfortable then both women. 

"You save my life." he said and took Katara's hands smiling up at her. She shifted away. 

"It was really nothing, I'm sure it was an accident." she stated and brushed at her still pristine dress. Grangran would be happy about that, this dress was older then she, or Grangran, and the Southern water tribes only true 'fancy' set of clothes. It was kept as pristine as possible, for these occasions as the southern water tribe had little money to spread around. 

"No, people have been trying to kill me since I was a baby!" he stated brightly. Katara blinked to him. "Do you... think... you'd like me?" Katara's heart rushed in pure abject panic. 

"OH I'm sorry, but I just got a job!" she stated quickly nearly stumbling over her words and Yue stared at her. "I'm... I'm her water bending tutor!" Katara gestured to Yue. Comprehension filled the other woman and a soft smile took her features, but Aang grinned brightly. 

"I need a tutor too! Can you teach me?" he asked. Katara blanched again, she was caught, trapped and wanted nothing more then to run. Yue put a hand on her shoulder. 

"Of course she can!" Yue answered for her. THe young boy whooped and Katara felt like sinking into the ground and never coming back up. If only she were an earth bender, then she wouldn't need to be tied down like this. She really just wanted to help her tribe, Grangran would have had her jump on this. "Do you have one for earth, and fire?" she asked and Aang nodded. 

"His name is Zuko, and there is Toph!" Yue nodded and turned to Katara. 

"Well, I'm sure that you'll love to meet them both! You can tutor me after him." she stated. Katara nodded, plastering a fake smile to her face. "That wouldn't be Toph Biefong would it?" Aang nodded vigorusly. 

"Yes is there something wrong?" he asked still bright and happy despite almost nearly being killed. However with him chatting with Yue it gave her some time to calm down. 

"Nope! She is from a very powerful and important bender family! Zuko...he's...." she dropped off and looked to Katara. "He's the firelords son." she explained to Katara, but not to Aang. 

"He's kinda... mean though." Aang said, and she sighed. Maybe she can dissuade Aang in the coming times to come. It wasn't as though it was flattering, how can she not be flattered, but her tribe needed her. They didn't have much already and loosing their only bender could hurt them. She swallowed down and put a fake smile on her face. "Toph is meaner however." Aang said and Katara nodded. 

"I'll try to be a nice tutor." Katara said simply. Aang grinned brightly to her. Her place set, Katara frantically searched her mind for anyway to escape this. She came up with nothing, and the nervous dread tension filled her stomach. 

A week later, and thankfully more dressed in thicker clothes Katara waited along with Yue for the others to arrive. The Princess had become her rock, and her steady help in all of this. It was something of a scandal, at least within the northern water tribe, for the both of them to be learning fighting bending moves. The week thankfully gave Katara access to hundreds if not thousands of water bending scrolls of this. While she was no master, and neither was Yue, she learned fast. Hopefully faster then Aang. The three, Aang not even being the youngest raced over to the large open arena for bending. Mostly used for games, and for those like them all to show off for prospective mates. She shifted and Yue grabbed her hand squeezing it once. 

"Thanks!" she whispered, Yue nodded. Katara didn't have the guts to ask her to try to disuade Aang, who kept up a boyish sort of infatuation with Katara. But she blinked and looked up to the scarred young man about a year older then her. Dressed in fire nation tribe clothing, all with dark reds, he glared down at her. 

"So you are the water bender?" he asked a little coldly. "What are you going to do, heal someone to death?" Katara glared right back at him. With a short nod to Yue, she called water to her, before the fire-bender, she had already forgotten his name, could react she created a whip, and smacked him. He danced back, and took on a ready position fists held out. 

"I could heal you to death." she snapped at him. "After I break all your bones." Aang looked back between the two blinking. 

"Katara, this is Zuko, Zuko this is Katara." he said brightly. Katara dropped all the water, on top of Zuko. He hissed and grimaced at her as she smiled at him smugly. His was shaved say for a single pony tail, and a thick red/pink burn scar covered one eye. He could be blind in it, but she stood and folded her arms across her chest. "This is Toph!" He gestured to Toph, a blind young girl who just snicked. 

"Are you two going to continue to fight?" she asked Katara. 

"She couldn't-" Zuko began but she glared to him. He danced back again ready for a fight. Yue put a hand on her shoulder, but Katara wasn't going to start a fight at least not right now. 

"At least I'm not a puffy prince strutting all around." Katara snapped Toph laughed as he frowned at her. 

"At least I have HONOR not to attack an unarmed person." he quipped back. 

"You still have arms. For now." she snapped. Toph roared into a laugh, and the ground gave a little shake as Aang chuckled a little weekly. But Zuko blinked to her. 

"Shows the prince, you don't even know how much he talks about Honor!" she giggled. He grimaced to the young girl. 

"I do not always talk about honor." he said quietly. 

"It is my honor to train the avatar in fire bending." she quoted back in a parody voice. He flushed, and Katara smiled to him as he flushed in anger. He glared to her an straighten himself. 

"Does that mean we can start? I want Katara to go first!" Aang said quickly, he was cut off as Toph stomped her foot. 

"OH NO! Looks like I'm going first." she mocked. Aang frowned. 

"Its better to learn your opposite first Aang, that way the rest come easier!" Yue called to him. "I want to learn that whip!" Aang smiled though as Toph guided him to a corner. Zuko glared to her, watching her and Yue as she guided the Princess into making a water whip. It was hard for the princess, probably never having to ever defend herself or be a part of any fight. But Katara had to fight off pirates, and large tiger seals. If there was one thing the northern water tribe had it was an abundance of benders. Maybe one of them could be convinced to help guide her into fighting. 


	2. Where no Flowers Grow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara wants to go back home with Sokka and Gran Gran for the month of polar night. But has to stay, after a week passes after the month of night with no word, and no one coming back, Katara with the help of the avatar Aang goes home to discover what happened.

"WHY CAN'T I GO WITH YOU?!" Katara knew her voice was shrill, and knew it carried and she wanted it to. Several people hushed quiet as the small gathering looked to her. The two air nomad travelers stood and looked to her then to her family. The only ones who came with her. Grangran sighed and put a weathered hand on her shoulder. 

"Katara... I know you want to go home to help." she told her and Katara grimaced looking down to the ground in shame. The month of darkness which was what prompted the leave for Grangran and Sokka was the harshest time for her people. There were two fully fledged, and powerful water benders going with them from the North. The two men rolled their eyes as she looked back to them. "But you are needed most here. Who else would there be to teach the Avatar?" Grangran asked softly. 

"Come on, its not like we needed you anyways." Sokka sniped towards her. She glared to him as he smiled to her. "Just another to sink up the place!" She kicked his shin very unladylike as the small group with the avatar arrived. "OW!" Sokka limped dramatically, and gestured to the rest. "LOOK, now we have to saw goodbye to EVERYONE!" Katara smiled towards him finally. 

"We were so worried we wouldn't catch you!" Yue called. Sokka blushed and straightened himself leaving her to roll her eyes at him. The two other benders decided to help the other nomads to load more supplies onto the two air bison that were being used as transport. Where Katara and Sokka lived in just a few short days would be the month of darkness. A highly stressful time for everyone, but they had lived with it for generations. During the month of night they all stayed in a large and actually permanent building one of the few in her tribe. Made entirely out of black stone and in the sole mountain that wasn't encapsulated in semi-permanent glaciers, they stayed there after hunting and gathering during the two month period of light. Where the ice melted enough they could gather and get as much supplies as they could to store in the building. Older then her tribe it was passed down it was made by Tuplak. 

"Where are they going?" Aang asked and waved to the two nomads. They nodded to him carefully. 

"Home, well, home for me and my tribe." Katara told him and glared to Zuko. Toph made a noise like it was obvious where they were going. "In just a few days there will be a month of darkness and we have been falling on hard times with all the pirate attacks. Its one..." Katara stalled taking a breath as Zuko grimaced. 

"She requested help from us," Yue finished. "Since the ball is over and done with, and you have chosen..." she dropped off and Katara looked away from her to look as a large set of persevered meat was put on a bison. "Well, since we are all cousins we," Yue pulled Katara into a short hug. "and I was able to get help for her!" 

"Do I get a hug too?" Sokka asked and got a short chuckle from a good portion of people. 

"OF COURSE!" Yue moved to hug him as Katara stomped past the group brushing by Zuko to stare out at another set of small air ships all ferrying goods around. 

"Why are you so angry?" he asked her, the others were all joking currently getting short clipped smiles from the adults. She put her head in her hands. 

"Its... its not just the pirates. That's not what I'm really worried about." she explained, sighing. 

"What do you mean?" Zuko leaned against the rails as she glared to him. 

"Lots of strange things happen during the month of darkness. You hear things, and we ALWAYS had lots of benders, but... after the attacks we just will have those two. The most the north can spare?" she scoffed and there he hands up before sinking down to the ground. "I'm just so worried, there are so many things out there that can hurt my family. What if the pirates attack the hall? All of my family would be there and we they can't RUN. They can't all defend themselves and the food with all the babies there." 

"Children? Babies?" he questioned and sat down by her. She smiled. 

"My friend, well... cousin too, she should have had her twins by now." Katara smiled when her older friend had discovered from the leader, the other sole bender of her tribe, but solely a healer unlike her, had told everyone of the two babies. Twins were extremely rare in her tribe and they all held a celebration for it. "They will all be in the hall, and have no way to escape if there is an attack. The pirates mostly want supplies, and we can usually make sure they don't get much." he nodded to her. 

"What is the hall?" he asked and grimaced. 

"Its where Tuplak died.... well kind of. Tuplak was a great fire serpant who created fire." he blinked to her. 

"A dragon?" he asked her and she turned to him scowling. "Sorry. Continue." 

"In the beginning there was nothing but endless ice, and mankind and the animals suffered greatly. Tuplak the sleeping serpent was wakened by their cries and sought to escape his eternal prison. So his massive body writhed, parts of it breaking out and creating all the mountains of fire in the world. These mountains spewed Tuplaks fire and the ice melted leaving man and the animals to become separated by the lands. No longer connected to each other by the ice. But trying to escape Tuplak was wounded gravely, and his body was cut up, separated, leaving holes and caves in the world." Katara gestured vaguely around her. "One of these was his head, which became the black spire, that... that is a mountain in my area. It always is above the ice and we call the cave there in it, the Hall...Or the Hall to the breath of Tuplak..." 

"You use this place to live? The breath what is that?" Zuko asked her. 

"It is the only warm place during the month of darkness, steam comes up from the ground in splits as the still dying breaths of Tuplak in the utter end. We... use that to bathe during this time..." Zuko smiled to her. "Its big enough for everyone to live, thought cramped. When the first of my people discovered it, it was during the days of endless light. So they used it to store food, and to bathe. When the month of darkness came, only two where in the hall at the time, a man and his wife. It is them that we come from. The ice came up and closed off the entrance and they held no tools for cutting ice." Katara closed her eyes and sighed. "So they stayed there in the darkness, and the wife gave birth to many children." 

"How..." she turned to him with a glare. "Its just a story." he finished quickly and she chuckled. 

"Yes, but since the people had used the entire Hall of breath to store food, they did not starve, and from the teeth of Tuplak water came down so they did not die of thirst. Once the ice melted, the family emerged and found all of their people." Zuko made a noise that she glared to him again to silence him before he could talk. "But these were ice, the people had become as ice, their skin ice, their clothes ice, and their eyes and innards pure ice. Their spirits remained however, and as they melted to pools of water they helped the family to gather food, and store it in the hall, for they knew the month of darkness will come again. The family grew in this time, the spirits taking place of the children born in the darkness of the hall and becoming these people who died. Then the darkness came again, and everyone was within the hall with their family, and they all had more children there, safe from the killing chill. The two had only two more children, twins, and those two became the leaders of my tribe as their parents passed on, as those two were the first water benders... at least of my tribe." Zuko looked up as the group started in the very last goodbyes. 

"That is really fun to learn about, I love hearing stories like that." he admitted lowly. "AND IF YOU TELL ANYONE I WILL KILL YOU." he threatened. Katara glared to him but stood to say the last goodbyes to her brother and grandmother. Hoping the dread crawling inside of her was nothing more then nerves of the first year without being there for her tribe. 

* * *

 

 

She was pacing, she was panicking. She knew that. The small arena shook a little as Toph tried to teach Aang earth bending, they were concentrating on lifting a rock and casting it around. Yue was watching the scene and Zuko was the only one following her as she paced along the side, the water in large vats shivering as she passed it. Her bending reaching out and causing the disturbance. "THEY WOULD HAVE SENT-" Katara began and dropped off to pace more. Everyone looked to her, and she stopped. "They would have sent word." she finished quietly. Zuko frowned, and sighed. Thankfully during this whole time, the stressful month, and now a entire week after it, there was nothing as an attempt on the Avatar. Not that people having tried, but everyone had been caught long before the plan could be set completely. 

"I think you need to stay calm." Zuko tried and she turned on him. 

"I AM CALM!" she yelled. Shards of ice shot out from the pots breaking each one and splattering water out. Everyone went silent Toph and Aang stalled completely turning to her. 

"You don't LOOK calm." Zuko said simply. She stepped up to him and put her finger to his chest. 

"DO you want to fight again? Because you will loose." he smiled to her, and she turned towards Aang as he approached slowly, she sighed, trying to calm herself at least enough to talk to the young Avatar. 

"What's wrong Katara?" he asked her. She grimaced and paced a little more. 

"She's concerned over her family and clan." Zuko answered for her. "They haven't contacted her after... they went through the month of darkness?" he questioned turning to her as she tried in vain to calm herself. The shards of ice were now growing, taking up water as she roamed along the edge of the hall. 

"I'm sure they are just busy!" Yue tried, Katara froze still and clenched both of her hands. 

"IT HAS BEEN A WEEK! That is plenty of time for them to send word out! What about the air nomads there?!" she ranted. "They didn't stay but they should have sent word! So where are they?! They would have gone back by now and now they are gone!" Aang was blinking up at her. 

"We can go to them!" Aang told her brightly, she turned to him blankly. "I'm the avatar, I'll just go get my bison Appa! We can go ourselves!" 

"Are you sure?" Zuko asked him as she couldn't even breathe well as relief started to fill her. "Katara?" he asked her as she slumped down. 

"We... can go? YOU," she jumped up and grabbed Aangs shoulders as he smiled up at her. "YOU HAVE A BISON?!" 

"Yep! I just need to call him!" He pulled out a small whistle from around his neck. "All air benders get to choose a bison once they pass a test!" 

"Wont they not like us leaving?" Yue asked. 

"That's all the more reason to go!" Toph replied. Katara turned to Zuko who shrugged at her. 

"I can go..." he said simply. She hugged him quickly, and then hugged the rest. 

"WE NEED TO GO NOW." she told them all. Aang grinned happily, as he led them out to where the air ships made by the fire nation, and the few still lingering Air nomads were, mostly Aang's entourage. It seemed to happen far to quickly, but also wonderfully so. They really didn't LIKE all these children leaving, but with a little work from herself, Yue, and Aang, they created a large cloud, and hid as the others on their bisons' and air ships looked for them. Soon they were away Appa flying out towards the south pole. 

 

* * *

 

 

It didn't take that long, but it seemed forever for Katara as just as the sun began to rise her home was just barely visible. Smoke was rising in just one area freezing her still as she stared holding onto the thick saddle on Appa's back. A entire body shudder went through her, just one tiny pillar of smoke. Only seen because the fat from the seals and whales that they burned for cooking food burned black and oily looking. There should be at least ten of these pillars. "See?" Aang called to her and then went quiet as he saw her face. Glancing down she looked to the ocean, there was no trace of any ship, and no debris. The moment they got closer, she stood. "KATARA!" Diving off the back of Appa she concentrated. Pulling at the water rushing towards her she spun into the water, coming back out, mostly dry as she sped herself faster then Appa could fly towards the edge of her home. 

The main homes would have been dissembled, and the metal parts, and wood, would have been stored away safely. But no home had been broken down, but they were destroyed. Caved in from lack of maintenance. Appa came to a rest behind her as she stalled just into the village unable to move. Aang, Toph, Yue, and Zuko came up behind her. "Katara?" Yue called to her. That spurred her, she ran towards the spire, and found the entrance sealed. But in front of it, was the two water benders from the north. One had a look of pure horror on his face, and the other a hard face of one just about to try to do something. Both were ice, pure utter ice, with no skin, as though all flesh in them had been stripped from them, and they were nothing else by a sculpture. 

"What are these ice... sculp..." Aang began as she touched the man's outstretched hand. It was across the entrance. "What happened here?" SHe looked to him and then back the entrance. Concentrating she pulled at the power in her, melting the large sheet of ice, and casting it out. Steam and air burst out from the sudden hole, lifting up with tiny droplets of water that rained down in the cold air. 

"WAIT!" Zuko grabbed her before she could rush into the Hall. She elbowed his gut, and he grunted as she struggled. Only one person emerged from the Hall, Sokka blinked into the light, he looked pale, worn, and most of all looked like he never had seen them before. 

"SOKKA!" she screamed and broke free from Zuko running to her brother. He passed out before she could reach him. Yue was fast behind her as Toph and Aang came up behind the two. Toph put her hand to the black rock. 

"I can see if there is anyone else..." she mumbled and punched the rock. She did it three more times. "Ka..." she dropped off blank eyes staring to the ground. Yue brushed a hand over Sokka. 

"He's gone at least three days without food." she said. Katara left the princess to take care of her brother, she would know more about healing then her. Only Zuko followed her into the hall. She screamed several names into the darkness and only got her own voice back. 

"NO... NO NO NO!" Katara slumped down, Zuko cast fire down the hall, it showed nothing but the stalagmites that leaked down water, the vacant hall with the empty supplies along it, and then the end. Where the fire lit up the cracked ground where steam rose up. There was a bed, and several weapons around it. But nothing else, the hall was empty of people. 

"Katara..." he settled down by her. "DO you know what could have happened?" she only realized she was sobbing when he wiped at her face. Aang came up by them after she began to pull herself back together. 

"This... this is the work of a spirit." he told them. "I... the avatar... one from before was supposed to have killed it a long time ago." she shivered turning to Zuko and stood.

"Its... its name is Kiga..." she said numbly. "Why... why would it be back?" Zuko frowned and stood up behind her. 

"That's what we have to find out." He said. Katara sighed tightening the wall around her inner emotions. There was time to focus on them later, right now they needed to help her brother. He was the only one that could tell them what happened in full. 


End file.
